HUNGRY GERALD

Creative BSK is always looking for soup recipes. There are standards that BSK always cooks (much to HG’s pleasure):  black bean soup; escarole and cannellini bean soup; chickpea soup (from a Marcella Hazan recipe); “green” soup (a delicious BSK invention utilizing over the hill refrigerator veggies). These are all  delicious and make Lunch (or supper) in HG/BSK’s Central Falls,RI, loft a happy experience—welcoming in this cold, snowy, wintry season. Yesterday, BSK cooked a new, lush soup composed of coconut milk, a lot of ginger, spinach and sliced chicken sausage—a savory surprise.

Escarole and cannellini bean soup is one of HG’s favorite dishes. Gilded with olive oil and sprinkled with hot pepper flakes, it’s good hot, room temperature or cold. BSK made a big pot yesterday. Knowing HG’s swallowing handicap, BSK used an immersion blender to turn the mix into a savory soup. The immersion blender is an excellent tool–BSK uses it often to make sauces, purees and soups.  Efficient and saves clean up time. It helped make BSK’s escarole and bean soup into a lusty supper when accompanied by a baguette and glasses of red wine. (The New York Times did a recent article in the cooking section praising the immersion blender).

HG first tasted Hake, a tasty fish, in a modest bistro in the bustling Spanish metropolis, Madrid. The Hake was sauteed and covered in a robust parsley sauce and flanked with boiled potatoes. Splendid eating. Curiously, Hake does not appear in many American seafood counters but BSK always finds it at Fearless Fish Seafood Market in Providence and at Tony’s Seafood in Seekonk. MA. It’s a happy supper at HG/BSK’s loft in Central Falls, RI. Last night, BSK made Hake in  Spanish style—cooked filets in a sheet pan with sliced potatoes, garlic,onions, tomatoes—it was moistened with olive oil and sea broth. BSK showered the dish with plenty of Pimenton, fiery Spanish paprika.  A lusty nourishing supper–just a bit picante.

Some years ago, HG/BSK had a scenic loft (it overlooked the skyscrapers, mountains, sea) in the magical city of Vancouver, BC, Canada. Vancouver was the food city supreme—the best public market, fabulous Asian restaurants due to the large Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Malaysian, etc. population. Because of its Pacific Ocean location there was seafood galore—oysters, shrimp and other crustaceans, squid, fish (large variety). It was in Van that HG first tasted a favorite fish–John Dory. Don’t know where the name originated but it’s euphonious. Introduction to John Dory was at a stylish restaurant where it was served in a pool of lemon butter sauce, ethereal mashed potatoes and a mound of finely chopped spicy baby spinach. HG/BSK drank a dry chilled white wine from the Okanagan region and were ecstatic. Last night, BSK cooked a large filet of John Dory from Fearless Fish in Providence (also bought hake for another  night). BSK cooked the fish on a sheet pan—it rested on a bed of onions, garlic, pepper, tomatoes–all moistened with  fish broth and olive oil. No butter sauce for health and diet conscious BSK—just squeezes of lemon juice and coarsely ground black pepper. Sensational supper—butter wasn’t missed.                                                                                         

BSK is an international home chef. BSK delights HG at supper with dishes from Italy, France, Spain, China, Morocco, Japan and other nations. A favorite is Buldak ( Fire Chicken) from Korea. BSK marinates chicken thighs in a fiery sauce of gochujang, gochugaru, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, chiles and sesame oil. Using half of the sauce, BSK grills the chicken and then adds it (with the rest of the sauce) to a pan of boiling chicken stock. The chicken is simmered until it gets a delicious picante glaze. The pan is covered with mozzarella and placed under the broiler until the cheese melts. Served on a bed of rice and accompanied by pinot noir, this is a taste tingler supper. 

It’s cold here in Central Falls, RI,  the  city where HG/BSK enjoy life in a spacious (3,200 square feet) loft. Outside temperature is 9 degrees. Mighty chilly. Comfy in the loft. However, winter calls for a comfort supper—a steaming bowl of pasta. BSK cooked a lush bowl of  penne in a zucchini/bacon/ricotta sauce. Perfect dish for a freezing night.